Memories of Redemption
by SanityRequiem
Summary: AU rewrite. Dedicated to TooManyIdeas14. One shot. "Sora, you've got a choice…" Instead of regaining his past memories, Sora makes the choice to remember Namine. This small action can change the events of history. All you have to do is take the first step...the first step towards destruction.


**Hello, welcome to the rewrite of Redemption by RequiemofKingdomHearts (okay, that's the past me, but explaining all that stuff would take too long...um, hello again?). This story is dedicated to TooManyIdeas14, whose super awesome!**

 **Only the first chapter is this close to the source material, I swear. I've rewritten a lot of the plot since I lost the old one (oops) and just felt that I've improved so much so I've rewritten a lot of it. But, don't worry, for some weird reason I don't understand, there's a Prince of Egypt world. Don't question it, I already know its not Disney.**

 **Without futher ado, here's the story!**

* * *

"Sora, you've got a choice. You can lose your memories of this castle and reclaim your old ones...or keep your memories here and give up the memories that you've lost..."

It is not an easy choice.

Sora examines the girl in front of him, turning her face to not meet his. Her voice and body shake but she tries to hide it from the boy and his friends, Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy Cricket. To be honest, she is holding back her tears with all the might she can muster in her small, fragile body.

Namine stares at the white walls around them. This is the only place she truly knew. Sure, she visited other worlds through Sora's memories, but that was all they were... memories. All of her life she was confined here. It is her home and prison at the same time.

"Do I have to...to choose?" Sora asks. His eyes are fixated on the floor. He has no idea which decision is the right one. Keep his memories of Namine, or try to remember whoever that girl with red hair is? Namine and this strange girl had the same smile yet they were completely different people.

"Yes," Namine replies. She braces herself for the obvious answer: Kairi. Tears try to escape her eyes again, but Namine still forces them back. A Nobody like her has no right to feel anything. Especially because they cannot actually have emotion, only memories of their past lives. Namine's past life is Kairi. It is clear to her why somebody emotionless like her can have this kind of reaction.

"Keep me how I am."

Namine cannot believe what she hears at first. Her ears must be playing tricks on her. There is no way that Sora just made that decision. She quickly turns around, and the first thing she sees is Sora's goofy smile. His friends are behind him and smile as well.

"...Sora? Are...a-are you sure?"

"Yep!" he exclaims. His voice is so loud that it echoes throughout the room.

"What?" Namine questions him. Shock is written all over her innocent-looking face. "Don't you want to know all the people who are really important to you? Nobody wants to have a bunch of memories that aren't real, right?"

"They're real to me! You're my friend, Namine!"

"Nobody would choose that but you. I guess you really are a special person," Namine laughs. She turns her head away from a second to hide the single tear falling down her cheek. Once that is done, she whips it away and makes eye contact with Sora.

"You can give us our memories back," Donald suggested. "Then we can tell Sora everything we know, and Goofy will do the same."

"A-hyuck, that's right, Namine," followed Goofy. "Friends do everything to help each other."

Unable to stop herself, Namine begins to cry right then and there. Sora, however, walks up to her and then forces a smile on her face. It does not stop the tears but it makes Namine feel warm inside.

"Who cares about all the awful things that Larxene and Marluxia did to you? They're the bad guys! Don't let them get to you!" He takes ahold of her hand, and she can only stare at them. Donald and Goofy laugh in the background.

"Gosh, our Sora has really grown up," Goofy comments.

* * *

After their discussion, Namine leads Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy Cricket to their pods to begin recreating their memories. Sora is standing right by her side. There is a certain sorrow in his eyes but the young boy still has a smile on his face. Namine let out a chuckle. That boy's light really is contagious.

Though, seconds later, Namine returns to her usual, demure self. She sighs as she makes note of how much the boy stands out in the castle. The white walls provide a stark contrast with his bright, loud outfit.

"You're sure you want to do this?"

"Yep, Namine!" Hearing that answer once again allows Namine to loosen up a bit. Sora is the only person in her short life that has accepted her for what she is, even though she did horrible deeds to him and his friends.

That changes when the two of them hear footsteps coming from behind the two of them. DiZ is now in the room, and Namine has no idea what to feel. The man had introduced himself to Namine once before with plans to defeat Organization XIII, her captors, and gain some sort of revenge. There is a dangerous aura around him. He might have been a great man before, but the thoughts of vengeance had already consumed his being.

"DiZ...this is Sora's choice."

"You're truly a strange person, Sora," DiZ remarks while he makes his way to the two teenagers. Namine grabs onto Sora's arm, overwhelmed by the grown man's presence. She, however, realizes something that moment. Her eyes widen as her brain tells her what to do.

"Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy...my friends, are gonna to remember stuff for me!"

"How about the past from before you all meet, young keyblade wielder?" DiZ asks.

"Wait, DiZ, I've to do something!" Namine proclaims, breaking the flow of the conversation. She lets go of Sora's arm and rushes toward the door. "If I don't, something horrible will happen! I'm so sorry!" Then she makes her exit, leaving the two men alone.

* * *

"Riku!" Namine shouts, panting. She is not used to running so much. "I've something to tell you."

Namine takes note of the environment around her: Twilight Town. More specifically, the garden. She is in the basement, and Namine begins to envy the Organization members for having complete control of their corridors of darkness. It is a skill she has not learned and most likely never will.

"Who are you? Are you...Namine? Wait...you're the person who saved me from that light," Riku responds. He remembers her scent from his fight with Zexion. She is probably the only reason why he is still himself right now.

"Yes." Namine, in turn, can easily tell that this is the real Riku. The replica is surrounded by darkness and is obsessed with her due to she manipulating his memories just like Sora.

"Just come with me now. I have things to explain to you right now. I'm so sorry this is such short notice," Namine says. Rushing, and not knowing what else to do, the young Nobody grabs onto Riku's hand. Riku allows her to pull him along because he is curious about the blonde himself. How could somebody as fragile as her be so powerful?

* * *

"Sora!" Riku shouts as he enters the room. He runs over to where Sora is standing, especially since DiZ has already left. "What are you doing here? I told you to take care of Kairi at the Door to Darkness!"

"Whose Kairi?"

Hearing Sora tell him that causes time to stop for Riku. There is no way that Sora has forgotten everything, right? The three of them are inseparable and could never truly forget one another...right?

"You're joking...right? Sora?"

"I'm sorry, this is my fault," Namine explains as she takes a deep breath. "I was forced to rewrite Sora's memory because of my unique powers over his memories and those he's connected with. Marluxia...he made me do it, threatened my freedom, my only hope. It's all my fault though that Sora forgot about Kairi, the person really important to him."

"..." Riku cannot believe what he is hearing. Of course, he has gone to other worlds and even was imprisoned in the Realm of Darkness for a short while after having Ansem take over his body, but this is what truly gets him.

"I'm a witch after all. Sora chooses himself to have his memories of this castle instead of his real ones. His friends can remember some of it for him, but he won't ever remember how close he was to Kairi," Namine continues from where she left off. She starts to shift her oversized feet.

"Riku, give this back to that girl, Kairi." Sora then places Kairi's good luck charm in Riku's hand. Riku remembers seeing Kairi work on it while they were all back on Destiny Islands. Plus, Kairi might be a princess, but she is still horrible at drawing. That face in the middle can only be hers.

"I will," Riku replies while placing it safely into his jean pocket. That action causes there to be a sharp pain in his chest. Imagining Kairi's action makes Riku's heartache. Her heart would be broken yet Riku knows he has to tell her the truth.

"Tell her that I can't go home," his friend answered. Sora knows that lying is not the best course of action, yet, whoever this girl is, or was, clearly cares for him. He does not want her to fall into darkness because of him.

Wait, Riku, you've got a choice to make to," Namine says. She breaks the current conversation the two boys are having.

"Why me, too? No one's messed with my memories," Riku inquires. He takes note of the pods inside the room. There is a dog and a duck that Riku recognizes as Donald and Goofy. In the folds of Goofy's hat, there is a cricket. All of them are safely asleep.

"It's not your memories. It's your darkness."

"Darkness?" Sora asks. "Didn't I get rid of it with Kingdom Hearts?" Namine shakes her head.

"In your heart, Riku, there is darkness, and in that darkness is Ansem. He may be at bay for now-but eventually he'll wake, and he will take over you just like he did before. But I have powers you can use." Namine walks over to Riku and points to his heart. "That way, Ansem could never come out from inside you."

"What happens to me if I let you do that? Will I forget everything like Sora?" Riku's eyes shift onto the floor. "I'll have to."

"The darkness in you will be sealed tight just like your memory," explains Namine. Her hands lift off her chest and then onto her sides. "You'll stop remembering the darkness. You'll go back to how you were. Riku, please choose."

"No, I need to chew Sora out. He's just too lazy to listen to a single request-"

"Hey!" Sora's cheeks puff out like a little child. Namine and Riku find him adorable.

"I don't need my heart locked. I'm ready-I'm going to fight Ansem," Riku adds-on. He smirks at Sora who huffs at him. Namine cannot understand their reactions but assumes it must be a thing that humans do.

"But what if his darkness overtakes you?" Namine suddenly sounds more worried than before, so Sora walks up to her. She holds onto his arm like a little child. Riku thinks about how Namine reminds him of Kairi, just less sure of herself.

"Yes...that's true," voices Namine, losing her grip and then letting go of Sora.

"Why do I get the feeling that you knew I would say that?" Riku crosses his arms.

"Cuz, Riku, we both hoped that it would happen," Sora answers. "We both wanted you to face your darkness because it's yours. If you can beat me during a race, you can show Ansem whose boss." Sora wears his goofy grin which reminds Riku of the good old days. The days before Destiny Islands was swallowed by darkness. The guilt of being one of the causes still weighs heavily on Riku's shoulders.

"So that's the reason. That's why Namine rescued me inside that light..." The white-haired teen's hands travel to his hips. "...in the form of Kairi."

"When'd you know?" the blonde questions. There is a natural look of curiosity in her blue eyes. "You already told me this before, so when exactly did you realize?"

"I knew when I met you. You and Kairi smell the same."

There is a moment of awkward silence in the room between the three of them. Sora and Namine both stare at each other, then back to Riku. Only then does Riku realize how weird that sounds. Maybe he should pick his words more carefully in the future.

"Goodbye," Riku says as he begins to make his way out of the room. "By the way, look after Sora. He might not be able to tie his shoelaces without you."

"Hey! That was _one_ time!"

"Sure, Riku," Namine answers. Sora keeps switching his attention between her and Riku.

"Wait, it's the other way! I'm the hero!" Sora proclaims. Namine and Riku both let out a chuckle, causing Sora to huff some more, though he lets go quite quickly. There is no way to keep the boy mad at you except if you threaten his friends, the very essence of his true power.

"No, you'll be the damsel in distress this time," Riku retorts while leaving the room. Besides of the people asleep, Sora and Namine are alone together once again. They look into each other's eyes.

"Sora, what should we do now?" Namine asks. Neither of them has thought this far ahead. Namine assumed that he would want his old memories back, while Sora was too focused on saving Namine from Organization XIII. There is a silence as the two of them think.

"We can protect the worlds together!" Sora proclaims. He latches onto her arm, catching her off guard. He then pulls Namine out of that room and into the nearest hallway.

"What? How can a witch like me protect the worlds?" Namine feels uneasy about this. Not only would it be her first time out of the castle, it is the role of the true hero: something she was not familiar with. Plus, she has a feeling that somebody is watching them but chooses to ignore it. How can somebody like her get that sensation anyway?

"By using your powers!"

"I can only use my powers on people related to you...Plus, somebody needs to take care of Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy. I need to rewrite all of their memories as well! And, Organization XIII...they're probably going to be hunting me down. Also, there's-"

"Ummm...What about leaving the castle to Riku...the other Riku? After we beat some heartless butt and save the worlds, we can return here, you know! I'll protect you from the bad guys, or teach you how to defend yourself!" He summons his keyblade and holds it up like he did in his fake memories. Namine looks at him, unsure about her mix emotions of happiness and guilt.

"...Really?" Namine thinks about everything that has transpired in her short life so far. This is her home but she knows that homes are not supposed to be this cold. Being in this place brings back too many bad memories of how Marluxia, Larxene, and the other members treated her. The only one she feels remotely connected to is Axel, but he's gone. Whether or not for sure is something only the future can answer.

This is the time to break out of her prison and open up her wings. Namine may not be a normal girl, but Sora is a special boy. Being with him makes sense on this journey of theirs. Who knew that a witch could truly save the worlds?

"The first step is to get out of here? Namine...do you've any idea how to do that?"

* * *

 **I'm officially crazy. Its a horrible idea to be working on this many fics but I'm known for my horrible decision making so YOLO (who uses YOLO anymore?).**

 **So, um, I hope you like it. Especially you TooManyIdeas14. ^.^**

 **Peace out,**

 **Requiem.**


End file.
